Carson Smith vs. Ryan Flaherty. Maybe Saturday night was a preview of a September matchup when the Red Sox and Orioles meet.
For Saturday, it was the Sea Dogs and Baysox, when Smith and Flaherty made rehab starts at Hadlock Field.
UP NEXT
WHO: Bowie Baysox (John Means 8-7) at Sea Dogs (Henry Owens 2-3)
WHEN: 1 p.m. Sunday
Smith, making his first competitive appearance in almost 15 months, pitched to only four batters, including Flaherty with one on and no outs.
After getting ahead 0-2, Smith threw four straight balls.
Smith struggled, walking the bases full, then giving up a sacrifice fly before leaving. He was to throw around 15 pitches and threw 18, only five for strikes.
“The adrenaline was pumping,” Smith said. “I felt a little foreign and lost my mechanics a little. Just happy to get through it healthy.”
Trey Ball followed Smith, allowed one inherited run to score, then gave up five more in his four innings of work, as Bowie routed the Sea Dogs, 13-7.
The game was called because of rain after two Bowie batters hit in the ninth inning.
Danny Mars, Cole Sturgeon and Josh Ockimey homered for Portland.
Smith, 27, is coming back from Tommy John surgery in May 2016. The right-handed reliever was acquired from Seattle after the 2015 season with pitcher Roenis Elias for pitchers Wade Miley and Jonathan Aro.
In 2016, Smith’s arm trouble began in spring training. He made two rehab appearances with Portland in late April and three appearances with Boston in May before being shut down.
Smith shined for Seattle in 2015 (92 strikeouts in 70 innings, 2.31 ERA) and was supposed to solidify the back end of the Red Sox bullpen. But his injury has had the Boston president, Dave Dombrowski, trading for more eighth-inning arms, first Tyler Thornburg (out for the season) and lately Addison Reed.
Smith threw almost all fastballs with three sliders and a change-up thrown in. While he’s thrown simulated games with the Red Sox, this was a whole new animal.
“You come into this, game atmosphere with an umpire behind the plate. It takes some time to get used to but I’m looking forward to my next outing,” said Smith, whose next scheduled appearance is Tuesday with Triple-A Pawtucket.
Flaherty, the former player at Deering High, played third base for Bowie and was 0 for 2 with two groundouts and three walks. He left in the eighth.
“It was good,” Flaherty said. “Any time you go out and play, you get stronger. We’ll go from there.”
Flaherty, who is coming back from right shoulder tendinitis, said he wasn’t sure if he would play Sunday.
NOTES: The announced paid attendance was 7,012. … Two of the league’s best hitters were on display with Bowie’s Garabez Rosa (4 for 4, .321) and Mars (4 for 5, .313). … Jeremy Barfield has a .307 average/.976 OPS with 19 home runs and 54 RBI in 66 games. Barfield, whose first game with Portland was May 26, will soon qualify to be among the Eastern League leaders, and will be a candidate for MVP honors. Barfield, 29, won the MVP last year in the independent Atlantic League. … Smith has yet to work out for Boston and Elias has been hurt and on a rehab assignment in Pawtucket. Seattle has Aro in Triple-A and Miley was traded to Baltimore.
Kevin Thomas can be reached at 791-6411 or:
kthomas@pressherald.com
Twitter: @ClearTheBases
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